A prescription is a written document which contains directions for the preparation and administration of a remedy. Prescriptions originated at the beginning of history, when there were medications and a writing system to capture directions for their preparation and usage.
Modern prescriptions evolved with the separation of the role of the pharmacists, lens maker, dental technician, etc. from that of the physician, optician, or dentist. A prescription may direct a pharmacist to mix or compound medications in the pharmacy for the specific needs of the patient, or direct a lens maker to prepare optical lenses having particular characteristics. Prescriptions may also be used by dentists to direct dental technicians to prepare crowns as directed.
Pharmacists and physicians are regulated professions in most jurisdictions. A prescription as a communications mechanism between them is also regulated and is a legal document. Regulations may define what constitutes a prescription, the contents and format of the prescription. States may require that a prescription contain the following elements: the name or names and address of the patient or patients; the name and quantity of the drug or device prescribed and the directions for use; the date of issue of the prescription; the name, address, and telephone number of the prescriber, his or her license classification, and his or her federal registry number, if a controlled substance is prescribed; a legible, clear notice of the condition for which the drug is being prescribed, if requested by the patient or patients; and the signature of the prescriber issuing the order.
Currently, prescriptions are written on stationary paper pads. Thus, one of the problems of the prior art is that it is difficult for the pharmacist to authenticate the signature of the prescriber on the prescription or to identify that the same prescription was not reused.
Prescriptions are sometimes forged because someone may be a hypochondriac and a prescriber may not be willing to write a prescription for the hypochondriac. More often drug addicts, or drug pushers forge prescriptions for narcotics, because the narcotics may not be otherwise available, the narcotics are cheaper and safer as prescription drugs than as street drugs. Thus, an additional problem of the prior art is to reduce the amount of forged prescriptions.
Another problem of the prior art is that the holder of a valid prescription may change some of the information on the prescription, i.e., change the dosage of the prescribed medication from 10 mg to 100 mg, etc.